


Judgment Bolt

by Mina Lightstar (ukefied)



Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-16
Updated: 2010-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-09 12:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/87208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ukefied/pseuds/Mina%20Lightstar





	Judgment Bolt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beltsquid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beltsquid/gifts).



Rinoa trips over a moon-rock. If she wasn't running from a small army of deranged doppelgangers, she might have found that odd.

A rough arm steadies her. "Watch yer feet, girl," Faris quips. "They'd like nothing more than felled prey!"

"I don't doubt it!" Rinoa replies, glancing over her shoulder. The manikins -- _Battle Pieces?_ \-- don't seem to tire. "Maybe a silly question, but have you noticed any sign of the others?"

"None." Even the pirate is starting to sound winded. "We've been on our own since -- Rinoa!"

Even as Faris gives the warning, Rinoa sees the Battle Pieces materialize up ahead. Some are vibrant blue, others black as night. "No end to this, is there?"

Faris grunts something dismissive. "I'll take the rear," she says, and then she's skidding to a halt. "The front's all yours."

"Don't mind if I do." Rinoa's boots kick up dust as she brings herself to a stumbling halt, levying her blaster edge at the advancing manikins. _How many...? Seven!_ She looses the Cardinal; as predicted it has little effect, but the distraction it provides gives her ample time to cast a Thundaga spell. Bolts of lightning rain down upon the lunar terrain, but when the dust clears she finds only two Battle Pieces have been dispatched. "Faris, how many do you have?"

"Too many!" her ally shouts back. Rinoa catches her blaster edge and does a quick spin to check on the pirate. Faris is in the middle of a Fira spell, but the Battle Pieces continue to advance, undeterred.

"Where do these things come from?" Rinoa demands to no one in particular. _I can't use too much magic. Who knows from where I could draw more in this strange world?_

Faris walks into her, effectively positioning them back to back against the manikins. "Galuf used to berate me for not training my mage skills. If we make it out of this war, you'll be sure I'm going to rectify that."

"I could use Angel Wing," Rinoa thinks out loud. "But even then, I'm limited to a single spell at a time. Against this many..."

Faris raises her sword. "They aren't bright, but they're persistent. What we need is a distraction."

"I think I could--" she doesn't get to finish. The sky blackens further, the wind picks up, and Rinoa shields her eyes. "Watch out!"

The lightning Thundaga brought pales in comparison to what suddenly comes down upon the earth. Ramuh's Judgment Bolt not only provides the distraction Faris was seeking, but when the Eidolon departs, Rinoa finds that the Battle Pieces that had chased them from their rendezvous point have been incinerated. "Just in time!" she laughs, relieved.

Dagger emerges from her vantage point behind one of the massive boulders. "How was that?" she asks with a wink.

"Incredible," Faris quips, brandishing her blade. "Let's not waste it!"

Rinoa spare Dagger a grateful glance before turning back to the manikins that remain. Faris is already making a beeline for one of them, her blade catching the moonlight as she charges. _Only four to go!_ Leaving the one on the far left to Faris, Rinoa reaches within, speaks the words for Blizzaga and casts the spell.

With one manikin encased in ice and another dispatched by almost elegant swordsmanship, only two blue Battle Pieces remain. Dagger joins Rinoa, giving her staff a twirl. "Are you two all right?"

"Tired," she admits. "But safe, thanks to you."

Dagger waves the praise away. "Does Faris need help?" Even as she asks, they stand at ease, watching their resident pirate captain slice Battle Pieces to ribbons.

"I think she's holding her own," Rinoa comments.

Faris's skills are impressive to watch. Without magic or Eidolons, she weaves between the final two Battle Pieces, eventually wearing them down. Soon, the lunar wasteland is quiet. Only Faris, Rinoa, Dagger, and a glittering ice statue remain.

Rinoa and Dagger jog over to join Faris, who ensures the final manikin's demise with a swift decapitation. "Good work," she offers.

"It was a team effort," Faris answers, sheathing her sword. She lifts a sweaty braid from the back of her neck, but lets it fall again. "How's your ankle?"

"Oh," Rinoa glances down, tests it. It does hurt a little, actually. "I hadn't noticed it, but..."

"Hold on," Dagger interrupts. She bends, touches Rinoa's left foot, and murmurs some quiet chant.

_Warm,_ she thinks, and feels Cure work its way within. "Thanks, Dagger."

"Forget it. Faris?"

"I'm all right. Save your magic; you may not have ample time to recover between fights, if the last few hours have been any indication."

"True enough," Dagger concedes, glancing nervously over her shoulder. "They just seem to keep coming -- since Cosmos..."

"Let's not think about that," Rinoa interjects. "The Warrior of Light said... anyway, for now we should concentrate on finding our crystals. Have you seen anyone else?"

Dagger shakes her head. "Firion and I were separated once the Battle Pieces ambushed. I assume everyone else was similarly attacked."

Faris rotates one shoulder, looking a little pained. "You can bet on it. But if we bested our brainless opponents, there's no doubt they did, too."

"We'll try to find them," Rinoa emphasizes. "We just have to make sure we get our crystals, too."

"Crystals," Dagger echoes, eyes downcast. "Faris, I think I saw Exdeath in this--" she hesitates, "--place."

Faris blinks, one hand going to the hilt of her sword. "Truly?"

"There must be a crystal here," Rinoa reasons. "Or--"

"--Or some sort of trap," Dagger finishes. "It won't be the first time Chaos's minions have used tried using trickery to lure us into traps."

"Unfortunately, there's only one way to find out." Faris folds her arms, looking not altogether unhappy with the notion.

Rinoa gives her a sidelong glance. "Eager to settle the score with your Void-obsessing foe?"

Faris smirks back at her. "Nothing would please me more."

"Well then," Dagger invites, gesturing to the vast expanse of lunar terrain. "Shall we?"

end+


End file.
